Asia Economics Update More Bank of Korea rate hikes on the way The Bank of Korea (BoK) hiked its policy rate by 25bp to 2.5% today, in a move we had expected but which surprised the Bloomberg consensus. The economy should regain momentum over the next 12 months... 16th November 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Korea's monetary tightening set to resume The Bank of Korea meets on Tuesday and, we judge, will probably lift its 7-day repo rate by 25bp to 2.5%. GDP growth has inevitably slowed given the tougher global environment but domestic demand is... 15th November 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Korea's growth to be slower but better balanced Data published today show that Korea’s GDP growth slowed in Q3. The economy will stay on a slow track for some time and in 2011 overall now looks set to expand at a sub-trend pace. Nevertheless, the... 27th October 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Korea's growth to slow, but not for too long Q3 GDP data will be released in Korea this week and are expected to show that the economy has lost some momentum. What’s more, the upswing will probably stay on a slower track in coming quarters... 25th October 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Bank of Korea focused on growth, but rates will still rise The Bank of Korea (BoK) held its policy rate at 2.25% today, as expected. The economy is losing some momentum but growth should not stall, while the won is climbing and is doing some of the... 14th October 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update North Korea; probably the worst top job in the world Public appearances in recent days have confirmed that Kim Jong-eun, the youngest son of Kim Jong-iI, has become North Korea’s new leader-in-waiting. It is good news for the region that a leadership... 13th October 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Asia's industrial slowdown to level out soon Manufacturing PMIs for emerging Asia and Australia declined further in September. Factory output across the region will continue to adjust as the global upswing stays on a weak track. Nevertheless... 1st October 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economic Outlook Asia is re-balancing and will continue to lead (Q3 10) The global upswing is now regaining some traction and the threat of renewed financial crisis has diminished. However, the world recovery will stay weak and vulnerable to other risks such as deflation... 23rd September 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Bank of Korea biding its time, but rate hikes lie ahead The Bank of Korea (BoK) unexpectedly held its policy rate at 2.25% today. Concerns about rising global uncertainties tipped the balance in favour of no change, despite the BoK expecting solid GDP... 9th September 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Bank of Korea set to hike again The Bank of Korea (BoK) meets this week and we expect it to raise its base rate by 25bp to 2.50%. Monetary policy remains stimulatory and the BoK has grown increasingly concerned about rising price... 6th September 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Asia's manufacturing boom is easing to a pace that can last The manufacturing PMIs declined in August. The global upswing is shifting to a slower pace but we expect that the industrial sector expansion in Asia will stabilise at trend rather than collapse. 3rd September 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Bank of Korea's pause to be short-lived The Bank of Korea (BoK) held its policy rate at 2.25% today but maintained its tightening bias. The broad-based domestic economic recovery should continue despite external risks, while inflation is... 12th August 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Korea's central bank has little reason to pause While today’s labour market data showed that Korea’s unemployment rate rose in July, the details of the report are encouraging. In addition, we believe that the policy rate is not the appropriate tool... 11th August 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly What will the Bank of Korea do? The Bank of Korea (BoK) meets on Thursday and the question is whether its policy rate will be hiked for the second month in a row. Developments since the previous meeting have been broadly positive... 9th August 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly How severe is Korea’s slowdown likely to be? GDP growth in Korea probably slowed in Q2 and is likely to stay on a weaker track in coming quarters. The economic upswing should not come under serious threat, but exports and manufacturing growth... 26th July 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Korea’s private sector takes the lead Korea’s GDP growth slowed in Q2 and is likely to stay on a weaker track in coming quarters. The recovery is unlikely to stall and we still expect the Bank of Korea (BoK) to lift its policy rate in... 26th July 2010 · 1 min read